Melissa Benoist Explains How Glee Prepared Her For Supergirl Role

Summary

• Melissa Benoist says her role on
  Glee
  prepared her for
  Supergirl’s
  pressures.
• Benoist earned five Teen Choice Award nominations and won twice for Best TV Actress (Action).
• Supergirl’s
  legacy includes an iconic “girl power” portrayal.

Melissa Benoist knew that taking on the role of Supergirl in 2015 for the live-action DC Comics series would bring with it plenty of pressure and high expectations. In an interivew with Collider, Benoist said she was uniquely prepared for the experience of starring in Supergirl, however, because of her role on Glee. She said playing Marley Rose on the hit Fox musical comedy drama gave her the confidence to take on the mantle of the Girl of Steel.

Benoist played Marley Rose through two seasons and 42 episodes of the series, playing a young student with low self-esteem who finds her voice (figuratively and literally) through the McKinley High School’s Glee Club. Speaking with Collider’s Peri Nemiroff, Benoist said that Glee’s hectic work schedule and the sudden spotlight of fame prepared her for the pressures of playing Supergirl:

What I learned on Glee was that I was a really hard worker and that I could do really hard things, because the schedule on that show was grueling because there were so many moving parts. It was fun but tough. You had to rehearse the dances, you had to prerecord the songs, then you had to film the songs, and filming the songs were a lot longer. And then you also had the scene work. I knew that Supergirl was going to carry a lot of pressure, and the responsibilities were going to be immense, and
I think that my experience on Glee gave me the belief that I had the ability to carry Supergirl.

Supergirl

Release Date October 26, 2015

Seasons 6

Expand

Benoist’s role on Glee opened new doors, and she was cast to play Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman, when the Arrowverse expanded with the Supergirl series on CBS in 2015. It eventually moved to the CW, running for six seasons and 126 episodes, ending in 2021. Over the course of the series, Benoist personally earned five Teen Choice Award nominations, winning twice for Best TV Actress (Action) in 2017 and 2018.

Melissa Benoist’s Legacy as Supergirl

The shows of the CW Arrowverse remain popular among DC fans, primarily for its strong casting. Although the quality of the shows themselves slipped over time, the lead actors of Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Grant Gustin as Bary Allen/The Flash, and Benoist as Supergirl set a high standard. Benoist herself became a popular “girl power” icon for younger viewers, who enjoyed her confident and wholesome portrayal of the character.

After the end of Supergirl, Benoist went on to voice Teela in the Netflix animated series Masters of the Universe: Revolution. She also appeared in Clerks III and the Max series The Girls on the Bus. Her other credits include Whiplash, Patriots Day and the miniseries Waco.

Related Melissa Benoist Really Wants to Play Supergirl Again

Supergirl star Melissa Benoist addresses the chances of wearing the suit once again.

Although Benoist’s run as Supergirl ended, the character lived on with Sasha Calle playing Kara in 2023’s The Flash, starring with Michael Keaton and Ezra Miller in a story that spanned the multiverse. Its poor reception and box office returns, however, killed plans for her to continue the role. Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) was recently cast as the lead in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the newest entry in James Gunn’s DCU. Benoist recently addressed the casting, congratulating Alcock and saying that the key to her success is remembering that the expectations of the fans come first.

All six seasons of
Supergirl
are streaming on Netflix.

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